AP Top 25 rankings updated after another upset-filled week of college basketball

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•01/16/23•

Jonathan Wagner

College basketball has been full of upsets all season long, and last week was no exception. On the week, just 11 AP-ranked teams escaped unscathed. With 14 teams in last week’s rankings suffering at least one loss, the latest AP Top 25 has been updated with some big changes.

One of the most surprising results of the week came on Saturday, when No. 5 Tennessee lost to an unranked Kentucky team. The Wildcats had seen frustration build over recent weeks, but they were able to pull off a top five win. Tennessee won earlier in the week against Vanderbilt. Arizona was the other top ten team to lose one game last week, similarly falling against a struggling team in Oregon. The Wildcats defeated Oregon State earlier in the week.

Four teams picked up multiple losses on the week, including No. 6 UConn. The Huskies began the week with a loss to No. 25 Marquette before falling to St. John’s over the weekend, going 0-2. No. 15 Arkansas also continued to struggle, as the Razorbacks lost to No. 4 Alabama during the week and then fell against Vanderbilt on Saturday. No. 18 Wisconsin also went 0-2 on the week, losing games against Michigan State and Indiana. No. 20 Missouri was the fourth and final team to lose twice, being defeated against Texas A&M and Florida.

No. 17 TCU and No. 25 Marquette played multiple games against ranked opponents, both splitting those contests. TCU defeated No. 11 Kansas State but lost against No. 10 Texas. Marquette defeated UConn during the week, but lost against No. 12 Xavier over the weekend.

Conference play continues to move forward, and the postseason is getting closer and closer. As teams continue to fight to build their NCAA Tournament resumes, the AP Top 25 rankings are sure to change more throughout the rest of the regular season.

Updated AP Top 25 rankings

  1. Houston (17-1)
  2. Kansas (16-1)
  3. Purdue (16-1)
  4. Alabama (15-2)
  5. UCLA (16-2)
  6. Gonzaga (16-3)
  7. Texas (15-2)
  8. Xavier (15-3)
  9. Tennessee (14-3)
  10. Virginia (13-3)
  11. Arizona (15-3)
  12. Iowa State (13-3)
  13. Kansas State (15-2)
  14. TCU (14-3)
  15. UConn (15-4)
  16. Auburn (14-3)
  17. Miami (14-3)
  18. College of Charleston (18-1)
  19. Clemson (15-3)
  20. Marquette (14-5)
  21. Baylor (12-5)
  22. Providence (14-4)
  23. Rutgers (13-5)
  24. Florida Atlantic (16-1)
  25. Arkansas (12-5)

Four new teams join this week’s rankings: Clemson (No. 19), Baylor (No. 21), Rutgers (No. 23) and Florida Atlantic (No. 24). They take the places of Wisconsin (previously No. 18), Missouri (previously No. 20), San Diego State (previously No. 23) and Duke (previously No. 24).

UConn and Arkansas both saw sizable falls in the rankings, as the Huskies fell nine spots to No. 15 and the Razorbacks dropped ten spots down to No. 25.

NC State nearly cracked the top 25, finishing just four points back at No. 26 with 111 votes. St. Mary’s (106), Arizona State (79), New Mexico (67), Illinois (61), San Diego State (44), Michigan State (29), Duke (24), Wisconsin (14), Creighton (9), Kent State (8), Boise State (6), Texas A&M (5), Ohio State (3), Missouri (3), VCU (2), Iowa (2) and North Carolina (1) also received votes.